Visiting Oman turned out to be an interesting but very strange experience. Oman is filled with contradictions. It's a rich country, and a very poor one. It is backward, and very modern. It's very old. And it's very new.

This country, situated on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula along the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf, is about the size of Kansas. Oman is more than 99% dry desert and mountains, dusty and unforgiving. Only a tiny bit is fertile , but that little bit is very lush and tempting. Welcome ... (more)